The More Rabbits You Catch, the Better (9)
With a cheerful smile, Chrome handed out cubes to the students. Loto approached him without thinking and asked, "W-what are you doing?"
"Oh, Loto. Long time no see. Here, take one too."
With a light tap, a translucent cube landed in Loto's palm. It felt like stone, wood, and metal all at once. As Loto stood there bewildered, Chrome continued.
"You've learned mana manipulation, right? Just pour your mana into it until it opens. But opening them right here in front of everyone would be boring, so I've set it so the mana you pour in won't activate it until tonight. Check it before you go to bed."
"Isn't this expensive?"
"That depends on your luck."
Loto was about to ask what Chrome was scheming when Fiore's voice cut in from the side.
"Brother! We've handed out all the distribution cubes!"
"Perfect. Alright, that's it for today! If you didn't get one, better luck next time!"
"Aww, come on. If you're gonna do it, why not prepare more?"
"Forget it. Let's head to the shops."
One by one, the students scattered. Watching their retreating backs with that same cheerful smile, Chrome gave off an inexplicable chill. Loto wondered if it was just his imagination.
"Look forward to your luck," Chrome said, patting Loto's shoulder. Loto couldn't bring himself to say a word.
That night, Loto barely touched his favorite dinner, too busy waiting for bedtime. Staring at the cube before him, he swallowed hard. Rumors had spread among the students—Chrome had gone mad after visiting a dungeon, this was some event to make friends, or just another nasty prank from the greedy spendthrift's son. But Loto's instincts told him otherwise. Chrome Midas would never do something like this without a reason.
He's not crazy enough to plant bombs as revenge for not following him into the dungeon… right?
Even if that were the case, he probably wasn't that insane. Probably. Despite the dangerous aura radiating from the cube, human curiosity made it impossible to leave it unopened. After much deliberation, Loto gave in and opened it—only to foam at the mouth at the golden light that burst forth.
The next day, the academy was in an uproar.
"A magic sword! And it even has a mid-tier lightning spell on it!"
"A supreme-grade potion!? Why does something you can't even buy with a mountain of gold and jewels come out of one of these!?"
"Wait. Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Is this really a grimoire with a secret spell…?"
"What the—why did I only get this junk!?"
"Huh, really? I got some decorative silver shield and figured Midas was just throwing money around as a gift."
"One person gets a magic tool and another gets three fairy tales? Are you kidding me!?"
"Damn it, I should've gotten a cube no matter what!"
Word spread like wildfire—who got what, two students who swapped cubes ended up in a fistfight over their results, and every kind of rumor flew around. Then an anonymous green-haired girl said, "Oh, I just opened mine and something shiny like a crown came out. Is that good?" and sent everyone into a frenzy.
Countless students rushed to the magic classroom where Chrome was. But his only response was:
"I understand how you feel, but you still have to respect class time. Or would you rather have a meeting with the professor? Also, class starts in three minutes."
Only then did the students remember the blood-haired demon waiting for them on the training grounds. They screamed and sprinted away. The remaining magic students, under Professor Neville Brix's sharp gaze, had no choice but to focus quietly on the lesson.
A few persistent students tried approaching Chrome during lunch, but none dared to question him about the cubes while he was talking with the princess. They could only wait for class to end. Lyla chuckled at the sight of students glaring at Chrome with bloodshot eyes while he calmly sipped his drink, completely unfazed.
"You're the only one who'd use the imperial princess as a 'do not approach' sign, Chrome."
"Hahaha, I would never be so rude to you, Lady Lyla."
At his nonchalant reply, Lyla rested her chin on her hand with a mischievous expression.
"Really? Wasn't your provocation during the last assignment rude enough?"
Chrome shrugged.
"'Face every trial and become a sword that stands against humanity's enemies.' I was simply trying to embody this academy's spirit in my own way."
His tone was polite, but his eyes were sharp as he met Lyla's gaze.
"Sometimes it's more efficient to clash with others or receive their help than to go it alone, don't you think?"
"Efficiency. How very merchant-like."
"But that's exactly why some things can only be done this way."
"……"
Lyla hesitated to answer, and Chrome didn't press further.
"Well, if it was unnecessary meddling, then there's nothing to be done."
It was as if he were saying that if she wanted more, she would have to come to him. Even after lunch ended and classes finished, Lyla Everblaze Barhart's expression remained clouded. For someone who had only ever shouldered burdens alone, asking for help was no easy thing.
After school, students finally freed from class swarmed Chrome. This time, he didn't dodge their questions. Instead, he greeted them with an unusually courteous tone.
"Hey, Midas! What the hell was that cube yesterday!? Are we really allowed to keep what came out of it?"
"Haha, of course. It's proof of your good fortune, after all."
"Man, you've got a big heart, Chrome! Sorry for thinking you were a total miser until now."
"Misunderstandings happen. Don't worry about it."
"Damn, I should've won the lottery. Hey, are you handing out more cubes?"
"Yeah! I didn't even get one yesterday!"
"Hmm, I'd love to meet your expectations, but my financial limits are what they are…"
Just as Chrome trailed off with a sly look, someone in the crowd shouted.
"Then sell them to us! I'll pay two gold coins—no, three!"
The murmuring grew louder.
"Three gold? Isn't that expensive?"
"Hey, didn't you hear someone pulled a secret spellbook and a supreme potion? You can't buy those even if you have the money."
"Most people just got iron swords or junk. If you're unlucky, you're just throwing money away."
"Still, it's only three gold."
Opinions clashed between those who thought three gold was too much for possible junk and those who thought it was worth the risk. Eventually, the latter won out. For students from modest backgrounds, three gold was shocking, but for those from wealthy families, it was nothing.
Chrome spoke up.
"Very well. Since you're all so enthusiastic, I can't pretend not to notice. However, preparing top-tier items like the ones hidden in the distributed cubes isn't easy even for me, so I'll limit the sales date and quantity. Every Sunday! Only three hundred cubes will be sold after lunch. And while I appreciate the three-gold offer, as a merchant with a conscience, I'll only charge two gold per cube for up to two cubes per person. For those who wish to buy more, an additional fee will apply. Please keep that in mind when purchasing."
The students thought:
Still, lowering it from three to two gold per cube shows he's got some conscience.
But usually buying more should make it cheaper, right?
Buying exactly two cubes is the most efficient. Midas isn't as good at business as I thought.
We could just have our friends buy some for us. Oh, using commoners as errand runners would work too.
Not everyone agreed, of course. Students from poor families or less affluent noble houses saw it as nothing more than the rich playing with money. But even they couldn't help but widen their eyes at Chrome's next announcement.
"Ah, I'll also accept cubes in place of gold! Ten white cubes for one colorless cube. Gray cubes at one-to-one, black cubes at one-to-ten."
White cubes? Those junk ones? My dad used to let the dog play with them.
I think there were a few in the storage room. Maybe I should bring them.
They were just sitting around because magic stones are too expensive to use anyway. Might as well trade them here.
In the Spero Kingdom, the Midas Merchant Group had bought up most cubes, so few remained in civilian hands. But in the empire and other vassal states, it was different. While some families hoarded them like treasures hoping for a windfall, most couldn't afford the magic stones needed to open them and treated them like unwanted clutter. Honestly, if you were determined, you could get as many as you wanted.
Watching from afar, Pino whispered to Fiore.
"But why raise the price starting from the third cube?"
Fiore answered quietly so no one else would hear.
"Because if you don't buy the two discounted ones, it feels like you're losing out."
Rabaul spoke with a dubious expression.
"I must never carelessly buy anything Lord Chrome sells. Isn't that right, Loto… Lord Loto?"
Loto muttered with eyes that looked like he hadn't slept at all.
"…I got thirty gold this time… I-I could spend about ten…"
Ligret watched one of the students who had first shouted "three gold" smile and quietly slip out of the crowd. She shook her head.
There really was no swindler quite like this one.